-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Belgium set a date with the U.S. in the last 16 of the World Cup as the curtain fell on the gripping group stages in Brazil , while Algeria celebrated a historic first .

Thursday 's 1-0 victory over South Korea was more than enough for the unbeaten Belgians to advance from Group H as winners , despite having a man sent off .

As their red and yellow clad fans celebrated in Sao Paulo , there were similar scenes of jubilation in Curitiba .

Algeria made history in Brazil , reaching the knockout stages of the global tournament for the first time at the expense of Russia .

`` Les Fennecs '' -- the Desert Foxes -- will need all their wiles as they face the might of Germany next .

Germany had consigned the U.S. to a 1-0 defeat in Thursday 's earlier matches but Team USA escaped from a grueling Group G -- which also featured Ghana and Portugal -- on goal difference .

Belgium might think themselves lucky to march into the knockout stages with their unbeaten record intact after being forced to play more than half the match with 10 men .

Steven Defour was sent off for a rash studs-up challenge on the cusp of halftime and South Korea sniffed blood , pressing forward after the break .

But if the statistics tell us anything about Belgium , it is never count them out .

Breaking upfield , defender Jan Vertonghen picked up the rebound of Divock Origi 's fizzing effort to break the deadlock after 77 minutes .

Belgium 's last six World Cup goals have been scored in the last 20 minutes of the match . Team USA better be prepared for a lively finish when the two sides meet next Tuesday in Salvador .

Algeria had arrived in Sao Paulo buoyant from a 4-2 victory over South Korea -- the North African country 's first World Cup win in 32 years .

When Russia took an early lead in the must-win showdown , a fairytale ending for Vahid Halilhodzic 's side had seemed a remote possibility .

Aleksandr Kokorin , who is nicknamed `` Bieber '' because of his youthful similarity to the Canadian pop star , was soon on song .

He rose brilliantly to power home Dmitry Kombarov 's cross after just six minutes and from there Russia looked intent on protecting the lead . But Algeria , cheered on by the undiminished enthusiasm of their fans , were not done yet .

When a free-kick was swung into the box , the Russian defense rocked and Islam Slimani headed into an open goal with 60 minutes on the clock -- his second goal in as many games .

The draw was enough for Algeria to join Nigeria as the second African side in the last 16 .

Meanwhile , Russia will be hoping to find answers before hosting the next World Cup in 2018 .

After failing to qualify for the 2006 and 2010 editions of the global football fiesta , the Russians have now fallen at the first hurdle in 1994 , 2002 and 2014 .

The remaining 16 nations in the World Cup will enjoy a rest day Friday before the footballing fever gets even hotter on Saturday .

Hosts Brazil face a tricky Chile side for a place in the quarterfinals while Colombia take on Uruguay , now rendered rather toothless by the ban for biting striker Luis Suarez .

The controversial Liverpool player is not the only star name to take an early flight from Brazil .

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo , Spain 's defending champions and 2006 winners Italy were among the big guns saying adeus from Brazil .

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Belgium set up last 16 date with the U.S. at 2014 World Cup in Brazil

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A solitary goal by Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen seals 1-0 win over South Korea

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Algeria reach the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time in their history

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A late equalizer for Slimani sees Algeria advance as the expense of Russia